After all they’ve endured, can their love survive? • Cristina flees her family's farm so she won't be forced to wed a rich landowner. • Ingvar longs to return to the West, but he’s wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg.Cristina escapes a rich man's henchman when he attacks, then strangles her. Pressing his thumbs into her flesh, he promises. If she marries the wealthy landowner, Old Calomel will make her more than his wife. She'll share all his riches. One little he needs an heir. Very soon. Cristina struggles madly, escaping to hide in the woods. There she learns that a nearby Lakota village will hide her. Ingvar, in the village, is immediately attracted to her. He’s visiting his Lakota friends and their doctor. When the Battle of Gettysburg ended, all his medical care stopped. Now he relies on the Lakota. Seeing for himself how Cristina lives on charity, eating and sleeping outdoors, he promises to help her. His Army friend, James, stays for now with his family in Gettysburg. Powerful people, they'd understand and help her. James and he were stationed out West, living in the wide open countryside.
Cristina knows deep down that she trusts Ingvar, no matter what happens. Filled with hope, they return to James. Will a new life open for them? When will their love ripen into marriage? Who would separate them?
